snowangel

Chris, how's it coming? Anything to show us yet?

We head north on Friday afternoon. I am urging Paul for an earlier departure time that he is thinking of, which will happen (at times, I'm the boss). Menu's to be determined, but there will be shotgun accompanying us. We can just hope that all of the grouse we saw this summer are still around (doubtful). We'll also try, weather permitting, for those crappies that hand in the fall. Oooh, and a stop at F & D Meats for more samples of bacon and sausages! Although there are bathing suits at the cabin, me thinks that we will not be donning them, although I will be tempted.

John, what did you do with the old sink? I looked and looked and look for one of those when we remodeled (my SIL has one and I love it) and came up empty handed. Please tell me that you didn't just toss it... BTW, Paul and I have done two kitchen remodels -- in the space of under 2 years (the second one wasn't as extensive). and wow, if you add three kids to mix of that...but, we are still married! (and, we are also DIY'ers).

The feeding herself with a spoon was an early IEP goal for Heidi, partly because at the time, I didn't have a PCA, and had two other kids -- one just 18 months younger than her, and I needed to eat, too. So, we had an OT work with her at school during meals, and came up with all sorts of modified spoons (including bent handles -- cheap ones from the thrift store bend easily -- as well as regular spoons with pipe insulation on them). In fact, in the beginning, they held then to her hands with ace bandages, and did hand-over-hand (very not popular with Princess, but...). Then, we graduated to removing the plate of food when she dropped the spoon (on purpose, mind you) so she could eat with her hands. Oh, you want to talk about shreaks. It made for 6 months of very unpleasant meals here and at school, but she got the message, and perfected her skills to the point that she neatly scoops grapes with a spoon, and can denude a bowl of Lucky Charms of all of the marshmallow bits much faster than the other two kids. We've discovered that her fine motor skills are just fine when she wants them to be. Does Tim Horton's have decent coffee (I'm picky. I want it strong and black.)

Chris, a week from Wednesday, I hit the place that will have fresh masa (fingers crossed) and then you'll see some action from me. Am I correct in thinking that this will be a long process and that four hands are better than two? Do these things freeze well? Is it worth making more than a family can eat and stashing them in the chest freezer in the basement for quick and easy dinners?

Kerry, how does Kira do with feeding herself? Heidi does well with a spoon (a huge OT goal in school), but soup is dicey (unless she's wearing a plastic bib). Contrats on all of your purchases today, especially the spatulas. The shreaks. I'd bet Heidi can clear out a space quicker than Kira! Everyone in her middle school knows who she is! Thanks for the advice (which I asked of Kerry via PM regarding a very bad burn). Blisters are going, and it doesn't even look like the skin is going to peel off! Hiding head in shame, what is Tim Horton's?

That would depend if I'm talking to you or to someone from the government. ← Oh, Kerry, you speak my language. The language of someone who doesn't have a clue what it is like to live with my daughter. Back to what to look for at thrift stores. Look for one of these (assuming you have power enough to see this!). They are cool. There is no power cord to lose. It does work better on gas than electric stove. In fact, it works at The Cabin where we don't have any electricity unless we feel like turning on the wimpy generator which makes a ton of noise. The thing is fool proof and will never wear out, nor ever be relegated to a junk pile because you lost the cord or the heating element went out!

No, they are not mutually exclusive. Heidi's Ped Neuro, who we see twice a year, spend more time talking about all sorts of stuff than Heidi (keep in mind he's observing her all of the time), and we had the nicest chat when we ran into each other at the farmer's market, about every thing but Heidi. If I don't get along with the dr., she's not seeing her/him! And, no BBQ sauce doesn't fly. The time it hit the kitchen wall was the day before I took the pry bar to the walls! And, yellow paint just hit some unbelievably ugly carpet, so as soon as I finish what I started, it's time to start something else! At least your sauce hit a tile floor! Question: When you are at home, does the Nanny live in your house?

Such great ideas everyone! Do favours please, and put your own recipes into RecipeGullet. All too soon, this wonderful topic will, because of all of your other great ideas, find it's way into page 5 or page 10 or page 150. Save us some searching for that recipe that you have to have Right Now!

Kent, thanks for the report. I have a huge (almost 7 lb) chicken in the fridge, and when I'm ready to cook it, I think I'll tag onto your experiment. Cut it in half (through the breast and back) and brine half and pre-salt one half. Was the quail wild or farmed? The chicken I will do was raised by the Menonites (technically farm raised), but somewhat wild. THis chicken even has a name!

So, I had a spinach salad for dinner last night. Pulled from my garden, roots and all. Seriously washed, then trimmed. It was yummy. I think the advice that you need to watch where it comes from is to be heeded. Not all spinach is tainted.

Hotdish (read casserole made with some sort of meat and past and cream of something soup) and bars here in MN. Or sandwishes on squishy buns or bread with Miracle Whip. Oh, and weak decaf.

Kerry, the pasta uptopic. It looks beautiful! I can never get mine so nicely rolled out; perhaps I just need to knead it more. And, BTW, when the Nanny (or PCA, as we call them here) beckon for something, you appease them because they are your (and Kira's and Heidi's lifelines). Bless those folks!

I am almost 50. I know better than to pick up a pan that has been in the oven by the handle without a potholder. Why do I keep forgetting? This one is so bad I'm debating the ER or darvocet.

Daniel, I don't drink much white wine (two glasses and I have a nasty and instant headache), so when we have it, I often have some leftover in the bottle, and regularly freeze it to use in cooking, and it has always tasted just fine when thawed.

How about Thai Crab Salad in Endive Leaves?

Chris, a lot of the shaoxing I can get easily has salt in it. Does your's? You mentioned up topic that you were thinking of modifying your recipe. Did you this time?

Pam, it's Uff-da, and it's a Norwegian term. But, Kerry, that lunch looks absolutely wonderful! Did Kira like her party? And, when she fell out of her chair and screamed, was she hurt or mad?

One way to combat this is to either cut off the end of the leg (that knob) or to cut at the bottom of the leg all the way through the skin and tendons. The leg's sort of resemble lollipops and cook much more like the thigh (thanks to Sam for teaching me about this important step!).

Kerry, how does Kira figure into meal planning? I know that I try and make things accessible for Heidi for meals, but that she won't eat meat readily or easily, so I usually try and have something available that I can add bits of very chopped meat to for meals. If all else fails, I add hard-cooked eggs to smushy dishes. And, where does the nanny fall into play?

Well, I did the chicken on Sunday night. It was a most amazing chicken, raised by some Menonite 4-H kids. What so surprised us was how chickeney it tasted. More meaty that a supermarket chicken, kosher and Smart Chickens included. I used a high heat method (450, not 500), and what also amazed us was how red this meat was in the dark meat parts. The plus was that the chicken came in a plastic bag, frozen, and had a name!

Did Kira like the chicken thighs? Heidi would eschew them in favor of rice with the sauce...(with perhaps a bit of finely diced chicken mixed in; oral motor problems).

I can find these at any local supermarket. Thye are always on the top shelf, tho, and there aren't many packages of them, so it's not as impressive as the display of triscuits in all of their yellow-boxed glory. But they are there!

ringflinger, I have made many a disaster, but even my lamb curry didn't approximate that disaster!

Kerry, fish sauce and a compressor. My kind of woman! Blog on, and enjoy us. And, tell the child that when the blog is done, ou won't insist on photoing every meal! BTW, our cabin comes equipped with fish sauce, and much of the Odd Stuff, courtesy of me. Should it ever go on the market, someone would wonder "just what sort of person came here?"